A/N : I forgot to say that I own nothing and no money has been made from this fic
UPDATE: I'm reworking the story and updating as I go, there are some subtle changes and some that add to the story, hopefully in a good way
Chapter Two
It had been a long day, rain ran in rivers down the ornate window as Narcissa stared out into the bleak grey, shadows moved outside despite the downpour, a full detail of Aurors. She was grateful, things could have been worse, Draco was safe and thanks to the Boy-Who-Lived-Again, this would all blow over in time.
Lucius, despite all his faults and in spite of his cowardice, had managed, possibly the bravest act of his life, he took full blame and would never leave Azkaban alive. The ministry had transferred all assets to Narcissa and Draco, she had enjoyed a stress free divorce and took back her family name, Draco decided to stay as a Malfoy, not through any loyalty to his father, just as preference.
Months and months of ministry meetings were weighing heavy, the manor repeatedly searched, but finally that part of the process had ended, the Aurors were a necessary evil while the remaining followers of the Dark Lord were rounded up, she had discovered at one of the many meetings that Potter had insisted on it.
Draco had forged a life of his own, met a lovely Pure-blooded witch and they had moved in together. Career wise, he had been recruited into the Department of Mysteries purely on his own merit, she was pleased, it gave her comfort, despite it being another debt she owed to the golden trio. Mostly, Narcissa was lonely, and the manor was a big place for one person, she thought about building bridges with Andromeda, but the grief she must be suffering was still far too raw.
Leaving her vantage point from the upper storey window, Narcissa headed down the grand staircase, her nails clicking gently against the ornate bannister, she crossed the hall, her heels clicked loudly and echoed down the corridors with each step, she pushed open the door in front of her and stepped into the room.
She mutters 'Incendio' and the chandelier bursts into life, the room is completely devoid of furniture, the plush carpet showed little to no sign of wear, this room was not frequented by anyone, the elves kept it clean as instructed by the Lady of the house.
She would retire here when she needed time to herself and her son and husband knew better than to disturb her, that wasn't a problem nowadays. All four walls were covered with an intricate tapestry, it almost looked alive, the central theme of this magical artwork was a grand tree, and unlike the identical rooms in the other Black properties, this tapestry was completely unharmed, every member of her family adorned the walls, she walked over to her part and gently ran her fingertips over her eldest sisters picture, noting that the day of her death had already added itself.
She snapped her fingers and with a loud pop a house elf appeared, the elf bowed and summoned food and drink for her mistress, and conjured a small table along with it, the tiny creature bowed again and vanished with another loud pop.
She let out a sigh, loosened the neck of her robe and collected the glass from the table, she resumes her slow walk around the room, her eyes fall on her Aunt's section, a scowl ruins her perfect features as she looks at the smiling and winking face of Sirius Black, they never got along, a Black as a Gryffindor, just thinking about it made her shudder, she tried to remember the last time she had seen that part of her family, it must have been as a very little girl, her Aunt was fanatical but much less stern than her own parents, all of her Aunt's rage was directed at the blood traitor, and to make her point all respectable Blacks were treated like royalty.
Malfoy manor didn't have a portrait of Walburga Black and Narcissa did all she could to avoid the majority of rooms containing the more vocal family members, she knew at some point she would have to face the portrait of Bellatrix that hung on the wall in one of the studies upstairs. She drained the glass and picked at a tasty morsel from the plate, she thought about how to alleviate the boredom and growing feeling of cabin fever, she wasn't a prisoner but having to go everywhere with an Auror in tow made it feel so.
With her mind made up, the elegant woman left the room and headed up to her chambers, she changed quickly into less extravagant clothing, choosing a simple looking blouse and a long pleated skirt, magically tying up her hair and pulling on a light hooded shawl, she left the bedroom and shut the door behind her, she turned left and walked two doors down, she tapped the lock with her wand and entered, the fire burned brightly in her study, she approached the fireplace and grabbed a handful of brightly coloured powder, the flames react instantly as the powder touched the flames, she stepped into the grate and in a clear voice uttered '12 Grimmauld Place'
Stepping out onto the tiled kitchen floor Narcissa was glad of her shawl, the place was cold and the air felt damp, dust lay thick on the floor and on every surface, lighting her wand caused a few creatures scuttle for the safety of some dark corner, the door leading from the room was ajar, she stepped through and climbed the stairs to the main hall. Carefully she lit the two oil lamps either side of a large black curtain, she pulled the curtain aside in one swift motion, the sleeping form of her Aunt woke instantly, fully prepared for the screaming, she is surprised when the severe looking witch cracks a smile.
"Narcissa, is that you?"
"Hello Auntie, it's been too long"
"How are you my child, what brings you here?"
"I...I don't know, who owns the house, is it safe here?"
"Sirius, the filthy blood traitor, but of course it's safe, you are a true daughter of the house of Black"
"I just want to look around Auntie"
"Of course dear, you are always welcome here, it's lovely seeing you after all these years, you look so much like your mother"
With that, the curtains close and the lamps die as if blown by a strong gust of wind, the hallway was plunged into darkness, Narcissa stood still and waited for her eyes to adjust, a whispered 'Lumos' and she climbed the stairs to the second floor, pausing for a moment, she glanced up the next flight of stairs, it seemed that a faint glow was coming from the upper floor, curiosity won the day and with wand gripped tightly she headed up to the third floor.
The lamps all along this hallway were lit, the carpet was clean, someone had been here, someone might still be here, before she could cast a detection spell, the door on the right opened and out came a very wet and very naked man, she raised her wand as the man turned to face her, she recognised him at once, her wand arm fell back down to her side, she couldn't help looking at the sight in front of her, a slight flush crept across her face.
"Who the hell are you and why are you in my house?" he shouted, she lowered her hood "Narcissa?"
"Potter, I, you, what?!" realisation dawned and he made an attempt to hide his modesty behind his hands
"I had a bath and forgot to take a towel" she had to force herself to look him in the eyes, she replied with more than a hint of amusement
"You are a wizard, or did you forget?"
"Sometimes I like to do things the muggle way"
"Good job I'm no threat to you then, I can't imagine where you'd keep your wand" the boys face reddens further
"I'll get dressed and see you in the living room" he waited for her to descend the stairs and rapid footsteps can be heard followed by the shutting of a door
Walking along the familiar hallway she opened the door to the living room, this room had also been cleaned and made usable, the furniture looked clean and comfortable, a fire was blazing away merrily in the grate. She sat down on an elegant wing back chair and removed her hooded shawl, allowing herself to sit back and relax, after a few minutes the door opened and a dry and dressed Harry Potter walked in, he offered her a drink and a tray promptly appeared on the table, he settled into the chair opposite.
The uncomfortable silence stretched on and on, occasionally their eyes met, his thoughts returned to the night in the Forbidden forest when the woman opposite lied to the most powerful dark wizard who ever lived, she risked everything and saved him, he assumed the butterflies in his stomach and thundering heartbeat were all by-products of revisiting that memory.
The woman cleared her throat and he was brought out of his reverie, with his manners quickly remembered he smiled apologetically.
"How are you Miss Black?" his voice sounded slightly odd to him, damn nerves
"As well as can be expected and getting better each day"
"What brings you here?"
"I just wanted to get away from the manor, we were always welcome here"
"I see, your Aunt isn't as hostile towards me as she used to be"
"I thought you had a nice place with the Weasley girl" he shifted uncomfortably under her ice blue gaze
"Yeah, well that's none of your business" his hand strayed to his neck and rubbed it, he didn't meet the woman's piercing eyes.
"I wouldn't have imagined bumping into you here"
"Sirius left this place to me, it seemed a shame to leave it to wrack and ruin, it's growing on me"
The odd pair returned to their drinks, the atmosphere thick with tension, and neither of them knew how to ease it, after awhile Narcissa decided to leave, the boy, no, the young man, rose and offered to walk to the kitchen to see her off.
"You are welcome back any time Miss Black, I owe you my life"
"Thanks Potter, don't think I don't know who I owe mine to"
She smiled at him, it was warm and genuine, he offered her his hand and she gladly took it, the handshake went on several beats longer than was comfortable, both parties seemingly reluctant to let go, he cleared his throat and released the woman's hand. He walked over to a nearby shelf and returned with a small tin, he passed her the container of floo powder, she bade him farewell and disappeared in a roar of green flame.